Stargate Atlantis: A Christmas Carol
by Phoenix Nova
Summary: A new twist on a timelss classic.


**I wish to thank Charles Dickens for the basis of this story, and it may be confusing, but yeah, well, enojoy.**

* * *

**Stargate Atlantis: A Christmas Carol**

It was Christmas time at Atlantis. Rodney McKay was working hard as usual.

Radek Zelenka entered the lab, after running late.

"Where have you been? I've been calling for forever." McKay snapped.

"More like ten minutes." Zelenka corrected.

"Look, Department reviews are up next week. And I am your superior in every way." Rodney snapped coldly.

"I am the head of my own department." Zelenka retorted.

"I still have some influence." Rodney shot back.

Zelenka sat down frustrated, and began working.

"You know, they're having a Christmas gathering in the mess." Zelenka announced.

"So?" Rodney snapped.

"Skoro jsem mu to ríct ocekávané 'Humbuk'." Zelenka mumbled in czech to himself.

"What was that?" Rodney demanded.

"Nothing." Zelenka replied.

"So, would you miss me if I went to the Christmas party?" Zelenka inquired.

"Fine, just finish that diagnostic, but I want you back here first thing in the morning, we're going to overhaul the power system." Rodney demanded.

"Tomorrow? But it's Christmas tomorrow." Zelenka reminded.

Rodney didn't want to argue. "Fine, you can come in later, but NOT later than 0900 hours." Rodney conceded.

Zelenka quickly finished the diagnostic, and excused himself.

Several hours later, the sun had gone down. McKay didn't feel like going to his quarters, but exhaustion soon became too much for him. McKay quickly finished up was he was doing, and left the lab.

McKay wandered through the corridors until he came to his quarters, he removed his shoes, jacket, dropped his head set onto his night stand and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Sometime in the night McKay heard a strange sound coming from outside his door.

The door opened, and there stood a familiar sight. Lt. Aiden Ford.

"Ford?" McKay asked in confusion.

"Hey, Doc. We need to talk." Ford said.

"Aren't you dead?" McKay asked.

"Yeah, I was killed when the Wraith Hive ship went up two years ago." Ford explained.

"Well then, how . . ." McKay started, but Ford cut him off.

"There's no time. If you can't change, the I will have gotten a better sentence than you. I have to tell you, there will be three spirits visiting you tonight. Listen to what they have to say."

"Spirits?" McKay scoffed. "This is sounding vaguely like a book I read in Jr. High."

"Three spirits, the first will come at the stroke of one." Ford said. "You have to change."

Ford turned and walked out the door.

Rodney brushed off the odd encounter, and went back to sleep.

* * *

Sometime during the night Rodney woke up, and heard his watch beep. Looking at it he noted the time 1:00 am.

Outside his door he heard footsteps.

When the door opened Teyla stood in the doorway.

"Teyla?" McKay asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Did no one tell you I was coming?" Teyla asked. "I am the Ghost of Christmas Past."

"Oh, great!" Rodney mourned.

"Come with me." Teyla invited.

"What if I don't want to?" Rodney objected.

Teyla rolled her eyes, and dragged Rodney from his bed.

Standing side by side, the two watched as the room melted away revealing a Jr. High school science fair.

And a young scientist standing by a table with an odd device on it.

"Is that? It is!" Rodney said. "On that table is a nuclear weapon I built for my grade six science project." Rodney explained.

"Why would you build a weapon of such destructive power for a science fair?" Teyla asked.

"Because I could." Rodney defended, then realized something. "Wait, You said 'Ghost of Christmas Past. What does this have to do with Christmas?" McKay asked.

"I am only here to show you events from your past, I know nothing of why we are here. But this event had an adverse effect on this holiday."

McKay watched his younger self as several men in black suits approached the young prodigy.

"Oh, I remember. Because of this I was grounded, and didn't get anything for Christmas." McKay explained.

"You got in trouble for building this, and your parents were upset?" Teyla asked.

"Are you kidding? They were furious!" McKay replied. "After that, Christmas for me was never something I looked forward to, just another day of work."

"Let me ask you again. Why did you build that weapon?" Teyla asked, and with that time seemed to revert very quickly to a point about five years earlier.

The young McKay was getting into an argument with his sister. "You always do that!" the young McKay shouted. "And dad always takes your side."

"Well, this was true." McKay agreed with his younger self.

"So, you built that weapon to get your parents attention? I think if you had tried a different approach to achieve that goal it might have turned out very different." Teyla suggested.

"Maybe, but even you have to admit that was . . ." Rodney was cut off.

"Rodney, you have to understand the consequences of your actions. And you can't blame everyone else for your problems." Teyla pleaded. Then looked at her watch. "I must go, but do not worry. At the stroke of two, the second spirit will visit you."

"Let me guess, the Ghost of Christmas Present." Rodney guessed.

"Yes, and heed his warnings, as you should also heed mine." Teyla said then walked out the door.

* * *

Rodney began to drift back to sleep. But was awoken by someone poking a finger into his face.

"Wake up, McKay." It was Sheppard.

"Oh, I should have figured it would be you." Rodney said, noting he was back in his room.

"You're the one who sub consciously deciding who represents us." Sheppard began. "As you may have guessed, I am the Ghost of Christmas Present."

"Ghost, huh?" McKay scoffed.

"Yes, of Christmas Present." Sheppard said, then leaned towards McKay. "That was harsh, what you did to Major Lorne." Sheppard said.

"Like he didn't have it coming?" McKay asked.

"He just asked a question, and you jumped down his throat!" Sheppard retorted. "And that's not the worst of it, Zelenka, I heard about Zelenka. Woolsey has had more than enough complaints about you."

"Complaints?" McKay asked.

"He was talking about promoting Zelenka over you. But why just talk about it, let's go see."

Sheppard turned and walked out the door with McKay right behind him, worried about losing his cushy job.

Soon they were in Woolsey's office.

There was someone inside, obviously complaining about McKay.

After the office was vacated of everyone except for Richard Woolsey, Sheppard and McKay walked in.

Woolsey was typing on a computer. McKay maneuvered into position to read what was on the screen, then reacted with horror.

"He is – He's getting rid of me." McKay mourned, then he turned resolute. "I'll fight this." McKay determined.

"Not going to happen." Sheppard said.

"Why?" McKay asked, almost defeated.

"The die has been cast." Sheppard said, putting his hands up as if saying 'it's out of my hands'.

"Then why are you showing me this, unless there's a chance to fix this." McKay reasoned.

"Maybe!" Sheppard emphasized. "What are you willing to do to fix it?"

Sheppard thought for a second.

"Come with me, there's something you need to see."

McKay followed Sheppard to the mess.

Inside there was a festive party going on. Oddly Sheppard, Ronon, and Teyla were also there, but no McKay, as he never participated in these kind of parties.

"You see, they're all having a good time. Why can't you?" Sheppard asked.

"Who is that in the corner?" McKay asked of someone sitting in the corner, working on a tablet PC. It was Dr. Radek Zelenka.

"Who do you think?" Sheppard asked, then replied to his own question. "No, it isn't you!"

Sheppard looked at his watch.

"Well I have to go. There's one more of us to visit you tonight." Sheppard said, then McKay realized he was once again in his quarters.

Sheppard went to the door, then turned back. "At the stroke of three, you will be visited by the third and final spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come." Sheppard said in an eerie and ominous voice, then left.

McKay sat back down on his bed. It wasn't more than a few minutes before a banging was heard from McKay's door.

"Who is it?" McKay asked in terrified fear. He had no idea who would be representing the third and final spirit. In the book, and all the movies it was someone that struck fear at the mere sight, and said almost nothing, but points.

McKay was sweating, and trembling with fear. But all McKay could hear was heavy breathing.

The door opened, and Ronon entered.

There was a look on Ronon, it was more wild and savage than anything, almost creepy.

"You? You're the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come?" Rodney asked, surprised.

"Sure." Ronon replied.

"Come here, there's something you need to see." Ronon said, then grabbed McKay by the collar and dragged him along.

Ronon dragged McKay by the collar for roughly sixty meters, before McKay got Ronon to let go, but by then they were already to their destination, a transporter, following the trip through the transporter they arrived at the infirmary.

Dr. Keller was doing a check on a patient, off in the distance was a body lying under a sheet on an examination table. The scanner was moving back and forth over the object under the sheet, it was a body.

"What are we doing here?" McKay demanded.

"Listen." Ronon said.

"I can't believe it. He's finally gone. Now I won't get belittled every time I turn around. I just hope I get something out of this." the crewman said.

"I can't believe I dated him." Keller said.

McKay turned to Ronon, "What did she say?" McKay asked. "I can't believe it, I'm losing her. I-I'm pushing her away." McKay said.

"You need to change." Ronon said.

Rodney's focus fell on the form under the sheet.

"It's me, isn't it?" McKay asked.

"Go take a look." Ronon encouraged.

"Yes - no - maybe - no!" McKay said conclusively. "Tell me this can be changed." McKay was confused, finally he dropped to his knees, "I don't want to die, I don't want to lose Jennifer . . . I don't want Zelenka promoted over me!" McKay was hyper ventilating.

McKay fell over, only to realize he was back in his quarters, and notice the sun beaming through the window.

McKay bolted out the door, and saw a woman wearing a red hat.

"Hey, you. What day is it?" McKay asked.

The confused woman replied "It's Christmas morning."

McKay started was ecstatic. "It's Christmas! They've given me another chance!"

"Are you okay?" the woman asked.

"Okay? I'm fantastic!" McKay replied.

McKay had a day of apologizing to do.

* * *

**McKay's Lab**

Zelenka walked in at 0859.

"Excuse me! Do you have any idea what time it is?" McKay snapped.

"I'm a minute early!" Zelenka snapped.

"On Christmas morning!" McKay sounded like he was going to have an aneurysm. But then his tone changed. "I'm going to talk to Woolsey and see you get a raise for this." McKay said.

"Seriously?" Zelenka asked, with more skepticism and concern. Since when has McKay ever _this_ nice.

"Absolutely. You know, you've been a saint putting up with me. Maybe we could enjoy Christmas dinner together."

"That would be great." Zelenka said thankfully.

Then McKay excused Zelenka to enjoy the rest of the holiday, promising to meet him for Christmas dinner in the mess.

Stepping out of McKay's lab Zelenka bumped into Teyla, Sheppard, and Ronon.

"So?" Sheppard asked.

"It worked." Zelenka proudly announced.

"How is it you were able to get Lt. Ford to help?" Teyla asked.

"Lt. Ford, the visions of the science fair, all holographic projections from McKay's own subconscious. I just borrowed a few things from Stargate Command." Zelenka admitted. "Colonel Carter was more than happy to help out when she heard what we were doing."

* * *

Zelenka's translation

"I almost expected him to say 'Humbug'." Zelenka said to himself.

* * *

There it is, I hope you liked my Chrsitmas Carol/SGA cross-over.


End file.
